Ta-da! It’s finished. It’s photographed. KCWC Day #5 = about 7 days spent on this coat:
It really was a lot of work (16 pieces to cut out!), but it was fun to make, and I’m pretty excited that I didn’t screw this thing up! So get ready for yet another gratuitous display of photos…
It’s been so hard to hold off on this project – the wool was purchased back in July and I’ve been anxiously waiting for fall so I could legitimately sew a coat. But starting this made me so nervous – I’ve never dumped so much money into one garment, and I really, really wanted it to come out like I’d envisioned it. Turns out I was in good hands with the School Days Coat pattern. Good old Oliver + S – they never let you down!
I used a blue-green Moda wool from Fabric Depot and lined it with a Kokka Trefle print from Cool Cottons.
When I bought the Kokka I never imagined it would end up hidden inside a coat, but this beauty convinced me to forge ahead.
We tried on this lovely coat for sizing (thanks Trinh!) and went with the 2T – it fits on the big side, which is perfect.
The sleeve and lining hems are finished by hand. I always dread hand sewing, so I enlisted my mom to do some (okay, most) of it for me. Here’s the sleeve I did after she showed me how to do a proper blind hem stitch.
I thought a special coat deserved a special tag inside, so I embroidered Lila’s name on a piece of twill tape and sewed it in the lining:
This is cheesy, but I kind of wanted to cry when she tried on the coat for the first time. And not because she jumped for joy and thanked me for it (that never happens! but that’s okay, I have no illusions that my sewing is for anyone but me). I was just so relieved that it all came together with no horrible, glaring errors, and that I had made a real coat! It’s the kind of project I never would have attempted at this time a year ago, and I just felt really….happy. Sewing makes me all emotional!
Love, love, love this!!
Amazing. I love it and I super love this post.
So gorgeous well done, love the fabrics!!
Wow this is SO special. A real heirloom piece. That fabric for the lining is a perfect choice. What a lucky girl Lila is!
I’m just so thrilled for you! Is that a proper response? I don’t know, I just am. It is so stunning – I mean a total jaw dropper. The color/print combo is beautiful and I love it all with Lila’s coloring. The wool is just dreamy and those toggles (where are they from?) are so very special. That is one lucky girl you have.
thanks so much for your kind words! i got the toggles at fabric depot – they were in one of those button tubes, made by jill buttons i think.
This is just too perfect! It is truly a special piece of sewing…
You did a great job!!!
I absolutely love this coat!
I get you, because I feel emotional too, everytime my Lilla (same name! But mine has two LL and in portuguese it’s pronounced like “lee-lah”) gets all giddy wearing something I made for her…
many hugs to you from Brazil!
Its perfect! You did a great job!
I’ve been drooling over this coat for a while and so stalk anybody who makes one:)
It is beautiful! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
Gail, it’s incredible. So well done, and so unique! I know just what you mean about the emotion factor, too – you poured everything into this one. Good thing it’s a little big – she can wear it next year too (and the year after? and the year after that?) 😀
thanks 🙂 i would be thrilled to get another year out of this thing!! i might have to make her wear it with short arms if that’s what it takes 🙂
It is stunning! I would have gotten teary-eyed, too! Adore the lining, and the color of the coat. Great tag, too 🙂
oh my! perfect fabric choices. PERFECT!
i love it! that color, the lining, the toggles, everything! can’t wait to see it in real life. ps could your mom’s blind stitch is gorgeous.
Fantastic! Way to go!
Gail!!!! it’s amazing! the fabrics are so PERFECT for this pattern. Love love love. Now I might just have to try the pattern!
How adorable! I visited Cool Cottons when I went to Portland and loved the selection. The hand stitched tag is the perfect touch.
It’s really gorgeous. I love the fabrics you chose. From now on can you just buy double what you need for any given project and send the rest to me? It would make my life a lot easier.
thanks so much, everyone! you’re all very kind 🙂
BEAUTIFUL i’ve been wanting to make this for my little boy for a few years now.. one in wool and one rain ugh.. but you have inspired me. it does look intimidating but it’s really a beautiful coat. great job!
It turned out beautifully! Ironically, just today I packed up S’s School Days winter coat from two years ago to send to my mom for safekeeping, for when my sisters have children and we can pass it along to them. I was sad to see it go but know it will be enjoyed by a niece or nephew. And there will be many more handmade items in S’s closet. I hope your daughter enjoys her lovely coat!
thank you, Liesl! i hope to pass this coat along someday, too. thanks for making such fabulous, confidence-boosting patterns 🙂
this is so incredibly fabulous! and i know just how you feel about seeing the little ones wear things that you never would have thought you could even create 🙂 it’s kinda magic.
It’s really wonderful! You did such a great job! The lining is sweet and the tag with her name is a thoughtful detail. I was pretty pleased with myself when I made this one too. It’s a lo of work, as you said, but the pattern was so well written that it all works out in the end.
It turned out so beautifully! Well done. I love the colour of the wool you chose, and the lining print too.
This coat is so beautiful and so special! I love the hand embroidered label, and I adore the fabric you used for the lining.
Wow. This jacket amazes me! It is gorgeous!
That’s such a great coat and so well made.
You deserve to be proud. I think that’s a total accomplishment. Someday I hope to make one too!
WOW. It was nice to meet you and Lila at the PCM on Friday. Your projects are so fun to look at and this is possibly my favorite of all, until the next favorite comes along :). Nice work!!
thanks so much, Susie! it was fun to meet you, too! even if it was the busiest day EVER over there 🙂
That looks so beautiful!!! Great job. I have been wanting to make this jacket too and you have really inspired me to do it. Again you did such an amazing job.
Absolutely beautiful coat! I would certainly jump for joy and thank you if this coat was made for me ;-). Love the colours and fabric choices and all the little details (great idea for the label). Well done! I’m inspired to try making a little coat now too!
beautiful coat!!!!
Perfectly lovely jacket. I am in LOVE!!!!!!! Because of you, I am adding another to sew project on my list!
You did an amazing job! I have wanted to start a coat for my youngest, but keep putting it off. Yours is inspiring!
~Michelle
I´ve chosen this awsome coat for my kcwc top 10. You can see the post here: http://pandielleando.blogspot.com/2011/10/mis-favoritos-de-kcwc.html
good job! thanks for sharing!
Great job! This coat is so awesome! What an undertaking, and it turned out so great!
GoRgEoUs!!!!! You did a fabulous job!!! 🙂
This is amazing! Great job Gail!
you were featured on Sew Mama Sew. Congrats. It is a beautiful coat. If I werent such a cheapskate I would want to make one too!
First time reading your blog – found it through Elsie Marley. I looked at this coat a few days ago and then moved on. Since then just kept thinking about it and how you described the process – lovely. And lovely coat! You should feel proud! Thanks for sharing.
Your coat is simply divine…the colors, the stitching, all BEAUTIFUL!!!
I just got my pattern in the mail and am so intimidated to get started.
In Texas, we’re lucky if we get cold enough to wear wool coats and if we do, it’s usually in February for about 2 weeks – ha!
You did an amazing job on this and the fabric choices are fantastic. Way to go!
Hi! I came over from ElsieMarley’s and just wanted to say: Wow! Your coat is amazing!! Great job!
What a beautiful coat! You said you made the 2T, how old is your little one?
thanks! she was 2.5 when i made it (almost 3 now) – she’s a little skinny/tall for her age but it still fits on the big side.
I love the coat. I admire your courage.
What a perfect coat! Love the colors and the fun print on the inside and your awesome handstitching. 🙂
I’m preparing to make this coat for my daughter, and have a question: I love the cute cotton lining, but wondering if I should line the sleeve with something more slippery for ease in getting it on/off? Did your daughter have any issues with that? Would you use cotton again if making it a second time? Yours really did turn out beautiful!
The cotton lining works out just fine, we’ve had no problems getting it on or off and I would definitely use cotton again. If I remember correctly there’s some ease built in to the pattern when you construct the lining. Good luck with your coat!
This coat is awesome!! Can you tell me what sort of leather you used for the toggles and where you found it? I’m having a hard time finding this.
thanks, noelle! i’m pretty sure the leather came from joann’s – i think in the section with all the trims sold by the yard. you can also look for leather cord in the jewelry making section. good luck!
Reblogged this on Mammacraft and commented:
Fantastico… non ho altre parole!
Hello! Do you think this coat could be made in velveteen? I really want to make a velveteen coat for a niece and I had my heart set on the wandering coat from Sugar City, but it turns out I seem to have lost my pattern (and it’s long out of print), so I’ve been trolling the internet for other ideas and came here because of the velveteen coat you made (So cute!) but am Leary of the pattern because it sounds like your reviewer didn’t enjoy the fit. So, this all boils down to: any advice on a pattern for a girly velveteen coat? Thank you!
Elizabeth
Ack, sorry to just be replying! But yes! I think this coat would work in velveteen. Another good choice would be the Stylish Double Breasted Coat from Dear My Kids on etsy, which I’ve seen made up in lots of different fabrics. If you wanted to make a more lightweight jacket you could also check out the Uptown Girl jacket from Make it Perfect or the Oliver + S Sunday Brunch jacket. Hope that helps!
Wow it looks so professional and I love the fabric and colours. I have pinned it on Pinterest. I hope that’s okay. It looks a bit advanced for me to make though!
[…] for kids. Clockwise from top left: Little Boy Jacket by melissa q, School Days Coat by Probably Actually, Be Friendly to the Carnival Folk Coat by Cirque du bebe, Audrey Cape by […]
Does this coat pattern run big? The finished coat measurements are MUCH larger than the ones provided by Oliver+S to choose the pattern size
Sorry, I just saw this comment! Yes, I would say it runs big – this was a size 2 on an average 2.5 year old and it fit for a whole year.
This coat is absolutely adorable! It looks professionally sewn and I hope can be saved as a family heirloom. I am excited to sew one for my daughter. Where did you get the toggles?
Thanks Kate! I can’t remember if those toggles were from joann’s or fabric depot…etsy has some cool ones though, you could look there 🙂